Spalding County, GA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Spalding County's Animal Control Ordinance treats cats the same as dogs for its core rules. Section 12-1004 makes it unlawful to own, keep, or harbor any cat in the unincorporated county unless it is vaccinated against rabies, with all cats over three months old required to carry current vaccination by April 1 each year from a licensed veterinarian who issues a state-numbered vaccination tag. Cats under three months must stay confined to the owner's premises and cannot run at large. Cats entering the county from elsewhere for a stay of 14 days or less under an owner's direct control are exempt from the license and vaccination duty, but longer stays trigger a 14-day window to get the cat vaccinated and tagged.

Owners must keep a leather or nylon collar with the rabies tag on the cat at all times, and any cat found roaming or running free is subject to impoundment; an impounded, unvaccinated cat exposes the owner to a citation under section 12-1004(c). Separately, section 12-1006 caps the number of cats and dogs a household can keep without a commercial kennel license: no more than four dogs and cats combined, or four of either, on tracts of two acres or less, applying only to animals kept outside the residence.

A Georgia Department of Agriculture dealer's license allows exceeding that limit for up to six months after a litter is born. Violations fall under section 12-1017's general enforcement provisions, punishable as prescribed by Georgia law and referenced in Code section 1-1007, with each day of violation a separate offense.